The invention is directed to electromagnetic guns and particularly to electromagnetic guns which propel a metal clad projectile by repulsive electromagnetic force.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,789 by inventor R. X. Meyer teaches a rail gun which uses a combination of pressurized gas and electromagnetic force to exit a projectile from a barrel at launch speed. Electrical connection between the rails and the traveling projectile is required to synchronize the launch flux.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,511 by inventor Yehia M. Eyssa teaches a electromagnetic projectile launching system which employs a pair of opposing firing rails which extend the length of the barrel and are exposed to the projectile and a persistent magnet formed preferably by a superconducting dipole wound on the outside of the supporting structure. The projectile is driven through the barrel by plasma formed behind the projectile through which current between the rails flows.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,494 to inventor Maynard Cowan teaches an electromagnetic launcher which includes a plurality of electrical stages that are energized sequentially in synochony with the passage of a projectile. Each stage of the launcher includes two or more coils which are arranged coaxially on either closed-loop or straight lines to form gaps between their ends. The projectile has an electrically conductive gap-portion that passes through all of the gaps of all stages in a direction transverse to the axes of the coils. The coils receive an electrical current, store magnetic energy and convert a significant portion of the stored energy into kinetic energy of the projectile by magnetic reconnection as the gap portion of the projectile moves through the gap. The magnetic polarity of the opposing coils is in the same direction, e.g. N-S-N-S. A gap portion of the projectile may be formed from aluminum and is propelled by the reconnection of magnetic flux stored in the coils which cause acceleration forces to act upon the projectile and at horizontal surfaces of the projectile near its rear.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,911 to E. Wayne Tackett et al. teaches a preloaded composite electromagnetic barrel and process for fabricating same. This Patent like the ones mentioned above employs a pair of opposed rails which create plasma behind the projectile for attaining launch speed.
The IEEE transactions on Magnetics of March 1984, Volume MAG-20, Number 2 (ISSN 0018-9464) teaches design and testing of high pressure railguns and projectiles.
The elimination of rails and the use of a combination of a long dipole normal residual magnet and a plurality of superconducting magnetics along the length of the barrel between the long normal conducting dipole and the projectile which are sequentially quenched or driven normal for allowing the magnetic force from the long normal conducting magnet to repelling the projectile along the barrel to achieve launch speed has never before been accomplished. There continues to be a need to produce a more efficient and economically feasible launch mechanism for projectiles. The instant invention provides an advancement of this Art toward the ultimate goal of a perfect projectile launcher.